Entangled Grudges, a Stand-In from a Previous Life

What is a hero?

Initially, it actually only referred to people with exceptional talent and courage. It had absolutely nothing to do with anything like nobility or dedication.

However, over time, the 'hero' that ordinary people admired gradually became a 'saint' or monster who was brave, fearless, virtuous, and self-sacrificing... possessing all the good qualities!

Ironically, while demanding perfection from heroes, ordinary people fail to consider that they themselves are incapable of fulfilling any of these demands.

Therefore, no matter in any world or at any time, it is difficult to be a 'hero' and evil people are in power!

Holy Land

"Neo, was I wrong?"

Amidst their adventures and mediation of wars around the world, the trio met many like-minded young people:

The Mermaid Princess, the samurai of Wano Country, the boxer of the Longarm Tribe, the berserker of the Giant race, the elf of the Tontatta... They all swear together to end this chaotic world, laugh and fight together, and strive together for their dreams.

However, how easy is it to suppress a world, especially when there is a conflict between two civilizations? Although the Great Kingdom has gained an overwhelming advantage, most of its former companions now lie in the flower-strewn tombs before them!

"Well, what's there to regret?"

Neo shrugged; perhaps he was the most relaxed one. After all, for him, the only true connections in the entire world were a handful of people.

"If I gave you another chance, would you still want to be this hero?"

"If there is an afterlife..."

Clang,

The tomb door was pushed open with a bang, and Imu long blue hair, walked in. Years of fighting had shed her naivety, and she now exuded a heroic and murderous aura!

"Imu, you—?!"

Behind Imu stood a group of kings wielding swords!

Unlike the Great Kingdom that represent 'freedom, equality, and fraternity,' they represent the kings of the Twenty Kingdoms Allied Army, who represent 'bloodline, tradition, and enslavement.'

"I'm sorry, Joy Boy."

The fear that once lingered in Imu's cold eyes was gone; her immense power and political acumen had given her unparalleled confidence and:

Sense of security.

"I've had enough of your naive words!"

"To achieve world peace? For everyone to 'obey the law'? To eliminate the barriers between those with special abilities and ordinary people?"

"You yourself are the king of the Great Kingdom, you are a superhuman, you and Neo are the two World's Strongest! What do you want to eliminate? Yourself? Or Neo?"

Seeing the shocked Joy Boy, Imu's lips curled into an undisguised sneer.

"How many more comrades are you going to sacrifice for those ordinary people who live their lives in a daze? This entire tomb is filled with powerful beings, each one of whom is a million times stronger than those ordinary people! How can their contributions to the world be compared to those ordinary people who can barely fill their own stomachs?"

"But they all died for your unrealistic dream, and now—"

"Shouldn't you go down and keep them company?"

As Imu's Haki of overwhelming blue light surged forth, coupled with the presence of the twenty kings of the kingdoms behind him, swords in hand, there was no doubt:

"Ah, this..."

Neo scratched his head, but before he could come up with anything sarcastic, Imu across from him turned to look at him and extended the back of his hand.

"Neo, make your choice."

"It's about continuing to help Joy Boy live his unrealistic dream;"

"Let's rule the world together!"

You should know, I like you—

·······

"Feel sorry,"

Seeing Neo shake his head, Imu calmly lowered his eyes.

"No need to apologize, because—"

Puff,

Blood gushed from the mouths and noses of the World's Strongest men, at the same time as Imu's cold words came from across the room.

"Using powder for assassinations, Neo, that's what you taught me. Even though it's useless against the enemy..."

However, the two 'companions' they spend every day with are already deeply poisoned!

In this situation, facing the combined forces of its former 'ally' and twenty nations, the Great Kingdom suffered a crushing defeat! Imu gained supreme power to rule the world, the kings received the promise of eternal wealth for their descendants, the nobles could indulge in pleasure without worry, and the common people also obtained the 'peace' they had always dreamed of.

The Four Seas world is celebrating the birth of the 'World Government,' leaving only the master of the dream:

Neo lay in complete darkness.

They lost.

It doesn't make sense. Where did things go wrong? How could Imu was once so obedient and timid, become the mastermind behind everything's upheaval? And how could Joy Boy, once so sunny and composed, have gradually lost his smile? Sure enough—

"The fault lies not with me, but with the world!"

Neo, who uttered this sigh, had to admit:

"World peace? Equality for all? Universal harmony? Honestly, even in my past life, these were just slogans to fool children... Could it be that Joy Boy's Observation Haki isn't actually 'Voice of All Things,' but rather, like that mermaid queen, it's about infecting others?"

Of course, it was just a joke.

He was once one of the two World's Strongest; he wouldn't be so easily swayed by Observation Haki. He was merely indulging in wishful thinking, wanting to reshape this world into the form of his former life's China, but that was impossible... The man in the darkness closed his eyes.

Tired, let's destroy it.

'Mr. Roman ~~'

?

'Mr. Roman—'

??

"Mr. Roman!!!"

"A ghost?!"

A ghostly, afro-haired skeletal figure with a "I died a terrible death" expression drifted by, jolting the listless, dying Neo awake. That familiar look:

"Brook?"

Etc,

I am... Roman!

In an instant, the hazy memories vanished, the dizziness subsided, Roman finally came to his full 'awakening' with a jolt of his spirit.

"Where is this... and Brook, what are you looking like?"

After rubbing his temples, Roman closed his eyes and recalled the events in a flash, instantly understanding the key points.

"I've been affected by Imu's power?"

"That's right, Roman."

The afro-haired skull floating nearby nodded.

"This is your dream world; in the real world outside, we are being besieged by the navy. Now is not the time to reminisce about the past—although I have reminisced about my comrades for decades..."

"I understand the logic, but do you have any ideas on how to get rid of this dream?"

Knowing you're 'dreaming' isn't difficult, but waking up from the 'dream' is. After Roman's words, the man and the skull stared at each other in the darkness.

"It's easy for me to escape this dream, but Roman, you..."

"Well, I have an idea—"

"Although I don't really want to use it..."

"Leave it to him."

"Charge!"

"Our 'King of the Pirates' is wreaking havoc in the Holy Land Mary Geoise!"

"This is something no one has accomplished in eight hundred years! Men, charge with me—"

"Waaaaah~~~ Luffy- senpai, wait for me!"

In the town located beneath the Red Line, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet is gathered! With Cavendish, the "Pirate Noble," as the highly mobile spearhead, Bartolomeo, the "Cannibal Demon," as the bulldozer, Ideo, the "Destruction Cannon," and Old Sai, the thirteenth generation pillar of the Eight Treasures Navy, and other experts, they break through all obstacles!

"Admiral" Orlumbus's four thousand men were all elite troops, with five giants under Hajrudin forming the assault force and Tontatta warriors acting as assassins. Even the well-trained navy could not withstand his advance, and the "Bubble Cable Car" was captured, transporting personnel to the Red Line. However:

"Get out of here!!"

With a roar, the pirates who had just charged forward were swept back like pieces of paper. And above the high elevator platform, stood a man.

He was a very strong old man with a broad chest, tanned skin, and white hair and beard shaped like the Chinese character for "mountain." Below his left eye was a stitched scar. He wore a sleeveless black shirt decorated with medals, revealing arm muscles as thick as his thighs! A coat similar in appearance to that of a naval admiral was casually draped over his back.

"Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's Armed Forces..."

"Former Fleet Admiral,"

"'Steel Bone' are empty!"

"Tsk, this old man must be over a hundred years old, right? Is it really okay for him to work so hard? Isn't he afraid of dying on the spot..."

When he had his one-on-one duel with the middle-aged the Red Earl, it's said that Kong was already over eighty years old. After retiring from the position of Fleet Admiral, he served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for decades, outliving generation after generation of pirate and naval leaders. Now, it seems this sprightly old man could easily live for several more decades.

"My fists aren't old enough to deal with guys like you!!"

As the old man tossed aside his cloak, he immediately lowered his waist to face the surging pirates below:

"Military Way Killing Fist - Machine Gun Barrage!"

As the old man threw a punch, it seemed like only one punch, but in fact, he had already thrown hundreds of punches in an instant. The afterimages of countless fists were superimposed together to give people the illusion that only one punch was thrown.

The next moment:

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

A series of dazzling orbs of light shot out from the old man's fist, as dense as a sudden rain and as fast as shooting stars, accompanied by a thunderous roar like a thousand troops moving and ten thousand horses galloping, sweeping down on the pirates who had just set foot on the holy land.

Boom boom boom—

The thunderous roar was deafening, and the shockwaves of the explosion spread outwards in layers, instantly engulfing the elevator platform. No wonder he's the commander-in-chief; he's using his assassination Shigan like heavy artillery to bombard the ground!

Facing Old Sai and Ideo, who were covered by the Haki that rushed through this round of 'minor cannons', Kong Shuangquan met them head-on without fear.

"Military Way Killing Fist - Heavy Artillery!"

Boom!!

With a deafening roar, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, a blinding light suddenly appeared at the point where the four fists collided, and black Inazuma danced! The blasted soil and sand were shattered by the immense force, turning into powder, like countless arrows shooting in all directions.

Kong Gaoda's body swayed slightly, while Old Sai and Ideo, along with two trails of lingering dust, flew backward, leaving two gray streaks in the air. They smashed the two rows of tall statues beside them in half with a series of crackling sounds before crashing to the ground below! The muffled thunder-like sound could be heard from afar.

"Wow, this old guy is still so strong."

The Chinjao with the '7'-shaped cone on its head scratched its head. If it were younger, it might have been able to hold its own against the other guy, but now:

"Isn't this Little Blue Pepper?"

He glanced at the Chinjao, and only he could add the word 'small' before the name of this white-bearded pillar of the Eight Treasures Navy who had stood for generations.

"The old guy who's already retired shouldn't get involved in this mess!"

Facing the empty space, the kind-faced Chinjao clasped his hands together in prayer.

"Before His Excellency Kong, I cannot bear the title of 'old,' and besides—"

"You hit my grandson! I'll hold a grudge against your entire family, three generations!!!"

Faced with the Chinjao that instantly turned into an angry, stingy person, Kong smiled ruefully.

"Come on if you dare!"

With the elevator platform blocked by an empty space, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet members were caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. Meanwhile, within the Holy Land, the battle situation underwent a significant change:

Boom!

"Foolish, a sniper actually charging in to fight?"

Upon hearing the Vice Admiral's words, Usopp, who had just been sent flying by a punch, nimbly got to his feet and pulled out from his pocket:

A bottle of wine.

"Hmph, this was my goal, and I've already succeeded!"

?

Under the doubtful gaze of the Vice Admiral, Usopp dashed to the unconscious Roman's side and then directly pried open the bottle and stuffed it into Roman's mouth.

Glug~ Glug~ Glug~~

??

"Mwahahahaha!!!!"

The arrogant laughter echoed once again in the Holy Land Mary Geoise after eight hundred years! It even made Imu, who was watching the show from his throne, suddenly stand up.

"Neo?!"

"Yo, Imu— "

Roman... no, Neo, dressed in a pristine white suit, grinned.

Brush,

The next second, he had already traversed the entire battlefield and appeared before the throne! Although Imu instantly erected several invincible barriers in front of him, the crisp cracking sound of Neo's fist striking out startled everyone on the battlefield. Because:

Neo, the one-armed man, remained in a punching stance. An arm appeared behind those invincible shields, and it was this hand that delivered the punch to the face of the World's Strongest man.

Door-Door Fruit Instant Split Iron Fist!

"Long time no see, have you eaten yet?"

You haven't eaten yet, but take my punch first!